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Hi there!I am wondering what the best "long-term" DEM approach is. YOu are probably like "What?" I will clarify this question a little more:Currently, I haven't even registered DEM-EX! Mainly because I am starting to doubt I wiill get finished before MSTS2 is released, and am concerned that it will not work with MSTS2, and $30 is quite a bit of money!So, I am wondering, is it best to shape the terrain as I go along? It certainly would be the easiest in the long run. I am just concerned that I would blow it again like at the Fox River and then have to re-dem everything!Or should I wait untill all track-work is complete and then shape the terrain?Edit: BTW, I am 99% done with all trackwork west of MP 25.0! I am going quicker then I thought I would be!Thanks! METRAUP
>Mainly because >I am starting to doubt I wiill get finished before MSTS2 is >released, No worries. MSTS2 isn't coming anymore.Non-registered DEM-EX _will_ write your terrain tiles based on the DEM you input. Click "unregistered mode" when you start it, the only things you can't use do are distant mountains(not needed in Illinois) and some of the advanced tools(shifting, etc).
>I am just concerned that I would blow it again like at the >Fox River and then have to re-dem everything! Make backups.
Here's what I've started doing - I'll lay 2-3 miles of track and then go back and see if I want to make any changes. If not, I'll work my way up the line selecting track sections and hitting the Y key until I get to a point where I'm certain that the track isn't going to change. When I'm laying track, I'm not entirely sure whether I've got the grade I want to use to get me to a certain point or whether the line is fitting the terrain as closely as I would like. So I'll lay a mile or so of track and see if I'm in a position that I need to be in - am I too high, too low, off to the side, etc.? If I seem to be OK, I'll continue without any terrain shaping for a while longer. At some point, it's pretty clear that I'm not going to go back and re-lay all that track unless I start over with the last archive, and then I go back and shape the terrain around the track.There are some places where I still haven't shaped the terrain, even though I've completed the 110 mile mainline. That's because I haven't yet installed all the bridges or berms. So - shape as you go along? No. Wait until all the trackwork is done and then shape it? No. It's better to use a combination of the two - lay lots, then go back and shape.BTW, I'd be surprised if DEMEX is way off the mark as a data conversion tool when it comes to MSTS v.X. But then I get surprised a lot.Andy
Your method sounds fine to me, but watch out when you backup along the line. See my post of yesterday about this. What I do, is when I start laying some more track or roads, I note the coordinates, and then I lay a mile or two, and note the coordinates again -- write them down i.e..Then I exit from RE and MSTS, and go back in cold. I then "jump" to the first coordinate mentioned above, and use the "Y" key. You will also find it helpful to switch the error bias to "0" on any terrain patch that you are working with.Go ahead and register DEMEX, and also get a copy of "Jumper". It is a great timesaver, and if MSTS-2 ever comes out, which now seems very unlikely - it has been officially axed, I strongly suspect that either DEMEX will be compatible, John Stanford will make it compatible, or MS will include it as a utility without paying John for his efforts -- they are good at that as those of us who also play with FlightSim know.You say -- GAD YOU PLAY WITH PLANES TOO -- well, it's like this. 30 years ago I was a licensed Pilot, and whenever I go visit my son's in Texas, they want me to "take them up", so we rent an instructor and a Cessna-172, and because I "play" with FS a lot, I find my skills stay honed pretty well - especially landing the little sucker.J. H. Sullivan
